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The particular Akdal MKA 1919 semi-auto “AR-15 shotgun” demo gun we shot, along with its 10-round box magazine, had a liquid-film-applied urban grey human skulls camo (camouflage) paint scheme/motif and was reportedly a custom gun that was “super-tuned” by Firebird Precision specifically for 3-Gun competition. Possible legal-liability risk aside, the skulls somehow seemed appropriate on the gun. The combination of the EOTech HWS (holographic weapon sight) and unbelievably effective muzzle brake made blowing clay pigeons out of the air both a snap and a pleasure. The gun was very soft-shooting. Oh, I’m sorry. Did I forget to mention that we were shooting trap with it? Well, we were.

The gun functions/operates just like an AR rifle/carbine, controls-wise, and appropriately features a bolt-carrier hold-open feature where the bolt carrier stays back after the last round for fast reloading. The gas system is “self-adjusting” and the barrel is chrome-lined and internally choked.

Taran commented to us that he’d like to see the 1919 shotgun’s lower receiver made from aluminum (7075 T6) instead of polymer for increased strength and durability, but the gun was pretty darn light with the polymer lower. He’s got 3-Gun competition shooting on his mind, and wants to make sure the gun won’t go tits-up (technical term) in the middle of a match. That’s certainly understandable, but what I’m wondering about is whether or not the gun is up to the challenge of adverse military combat conditions, particularly desert and jungle conditions where fine sand and/or mud can gum up the works while you’re in the middle of a firefight.

The Turkish Akdal MKA 1919 shotgun is certainly going to give the Russian Saiga shotgun (Kalashnikov AKM-type) a run for its money, and may even dominate it in both combat and competition environments, provided the 1919 proves to be reliable, accurate and durable.

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.

6 comments

I really do despise it when people say that a gun is ‘gas operated.’ There are so many kinds of gas operation, and which one the designer picked can tell you a lot about the reliability of the weapon.

The gas tube appears to be below the barrel, which makes long stroke unlikely, and DI difficult but not entirely impossible. It might be a similar short stroke design to the M14, but even the manufacturer’s webpage simply says ‘gas operated,’ so it’s all guesswork on my part.